Nuotare Conjugation in Italian
nuotare means “to swim” in English, and it is one of the first verbs Italian learners meet — it sits at number 34 in VerbFlow’s frequency list for Italian verbs. It is the verb for swimming, and it is completely regular in every tense. It needs no object, and it appears with places such as the sea and the pool, and with time words such as ogni giorno and d'estate. This page gives you the complete conjugation of nuotare — every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle — with notes, examples, common mistakes and a quiz. Here is the verb in a natural sentence: “Io nuoto ogni giorno.” — “I swim.”
Quick facts
- Infinitive: nuotare
- English: to swim
- Verb type: Regular -are verb
- Irregular in: none — regular in every tense
- Gerund: nuotando
- Present participle: nuotante
- Past participle: nuotato
- Auxiliary: avere (all perfect tenses are formed with avere + the past participle)
- Ending: -are verbs; pattern are in the verified tables
Pronunciation
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for nuotare, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Learn the spelling of the forms first, and listen to a native speaker for the sounds rather than trusting an invented transcription. The forms below are the ones that matter: once you can read nuotare in every tense, you can recognise it in speech even before you can pronounce every form perfectly.
Three things to remember about nuotare
- It is regular: every form follows the ordinary -are pattern, so once you know the stem you can build the whole table. The only work is learning the endings, not memorising exceptions.
- The perfect tenses use avere: the passato prossimo is formed with avere in the present plus the past participle nuotato. The tables on this page give the participle in the masculine singular form, exactly as it appears in the verified dump; agreement with the subject is a separate step that depends on the sentence, not on the verb table.
- The participles are nuotante and nuotato: keep both in mind as you read the tables, because the present participle appears as an adjective and the past participle appears in every perfect tense. If you know those two forms and the present tense, you already know the skeleton of the whole conjugation.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for nuotare. Learn the present tense first, then the passato prossimo and the imperfect, and add the remaining tenses one at a time.
Present indicative (presente)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | nuoto |
| tu | nuoti |
| lui/lei | nuota |
| noi | nuotiamo |
| voi | nuotate |
| loro | nuotano |
The present indicative is used for habits, facts and things happening now. For example: “Io nuoto ogni giorno.” — “I swim”
Passato remoto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | nuotai |
| tu | nuotasti |
| lui/lei | nuotò |
| noi | nuotammo |
| voi | nuotaste |
| loro | nuotarono |
The passato remoto is used for completed actions in the distant past, mostly in written and literary Italian and in the south of Italy. For example: “Io nuotai ieri.” — “I swam”
Imperfect (imperfetto)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | nuotavo |
| tu | nuotavi |
| lui/lei | nuotava |
| noi | nuotavamo |
| voi | nuotavate |
| loro | nuotavano |
The imperfect is used for ongoing or habitual actions in the past, and for background description. For example: “Io nuotavo una volta.” — “I used to swim”
Future (futuro semplice)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | nuoterò |
| tu | nuoterai |
| lui/lei | nuoterà |
| noi | nuoteremo |
| voi | nuoterete |
| loro | nuoteranno |
The future is used for what will happen, for predictions and for probability. For example: “Io nuoterò domani.” — “I will swim”
Conditional (condizionale)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | nuoterei |
| tu | nuoteresti |
| lui/lei | nuoterebbe |
| noi | nuoteremmo |
| voi | nuotereste |
| loro | nuoterebbero |
The conditional is used for what would happen, for polite requests and for hypothetical situations. For example: “Io nuoterei un giorno.” — “I would swim”
Present perfect (passato prossimo)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | ho nuotato |
| tu | hai nuotato |
| lui/lei | ha nuotato |
| noi | abbiamo nuotato |
| voi | avete nuotato |
| loro | hanno nuotato |
The passato prossimo is used for completed actions in the past, especially in spoken Italian. For example: “Lui ha nuotato questa settimana.” — “He has swum”
Pluperfect (trapassato prossimo)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | avevo nuotato |
| tu | avevi nuotato |
| lui/lei | aveva nuotato |
| noi | avevamo nuotato |
| voi | avevate nuotato |
| loro | avevano nuotato |
The pluperfect is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “Io avevo nuotato prima della festa.” — “I had swum”
Future perfect (futuro anteriore)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | avrò nuotato |
| tu | avrai nuotato |
| lui/lei | avrà nuotato |
| noi | avremo nuotato |
| voi | avrete nuotato |
| loro | avranno nuotato |
The future perfect is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Io avrò nuotato per domani.” — “I will have swum”
Conditional perfect (condizionale passato)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | avrei nuotato |
| tu | avresti nuotato |
| lui/lei | avrebbe nuotato |
| noi | avremmo nuotato |
| voi | avreste nuotato |
| loro | avrebbero nuotato |
The conditional perfect is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Io avrei nuotato ieri.” — “I would have swum”
Present subjunctive (congiuntivo presente)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | nuoti |
| tu | nuoti |
| lui/lei | nuoti |
| noi | nuotiamo |
| voi | nuotiate |
| loro | nuotino |
The present subjunctive is used for wishes, doubts, emotions and opinions after che. For example: “È importante che io nuoti.” — “It is important that I swim”
Imperfect subjunctive (congiuntivo imperfetto)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | nuotassi |
| tu | nuotassi |
| lui/lei | nuotasse |
| noi | nuotassimo |
| voi | nuotaste |
| loro | nuotassero |
The imperfect subjunctive is used in the past for wishes and hypotheticals after che, and in if-clauses. For example: “Era importante che io nuotassi.” — “It was important that I swim”
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | nuota |
| lui/lei | nuoti |
| noi | nuotiamo |
| voi | nuotate |
| loro | nuotino |
The affirmative imperative is used for direct commands and instructions. For example: “Nuota!” — “Swim!”
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | nuotare |
| lui/lei | nuoti |
| noi | nuotiamo |
| voi | nuotiate |
| loro | nuotino |
The negative imperative is used for prohibitions and negative commands. For example: “Non nuotare.” — “Do not swim.”
Gerund
| Form | Italian |
|---|---|
| Gerund | nuotando |
The gerund is used for an action happening at the same time as another action, often with stare for the progressive. For example: “Nuotando, imparo molto.” — “While swimming, I learn a lot.”
Present participle
| Form | Italian |
|---|---|
| Present participle | nuotante |
The present participle is used as an adjective, describing an ongoing action. For example, the participle nuotante is used to describe something that is happening at the same time as the main action, much like an English -ing adjective.
Past participle
| Form | Italian |
|---|---|
| Past participle | nuotato |
The past participle is used with an auxiliary to form the perfect tenses, and as an adjective. For example: “Io ho nuotato questa settimana.” — “I have swum.”
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with nuotare, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the Italian and try to produce it from the English.
- “Io nuoto ogni giorno.” — “I swim”
- “Tu nuotasti ieri.” — “You swam”
- “Lui nuotava una volta.” — “He used to swim”
- “Io nuoterò domani.” — “I will swim”
- “Tu nuoteresti un giorno.” — “You would swim”
- “Lui ha nuotato questa settimana.” — “He has swum”
- “Io avevo nuotato prima della festa.” — “I had swum”
- “Tu avrai nuotato per domani.” — “You will have swum”
- “È importante che io nuoti.” — “It is important that I swim”
- “Nuota!” — “Swim!”
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Io nuotare.”
✓ Right: “Io nuoto ogni giorno.”
The infinitive nuotare never takes a subject. After io you need the conjugated present form nuoto.
2. Using the wrong person’s form
✗ Wrong: “Io nuoti.”
✓ Right: “Io nuoto ogni giorno.”
nuoti is the tu form, not the io form. Match the verb to the subject every time: io goes with nuoto.
3. Using the present for a finished past action
✗ Wrong: “Io nuoto ieri.”
✓ Right: “Io ho nuotato questa settimana.”
Yesterday points to the past, so the present is wrong here. Use the passato prossimo ho nuotato for a finished action yesterday.
4. Using the wrong auxiliary in the passato prossimo
✗ Wrong: “Io sono nuotato.”
✓ Right: “Io ho nuotato questa settimana.”
The passato prossimo of nuotare is formed with avere plus the past participle nuotato: the io form is ho nuotato. Check the auxiliary in the table above before you build a perfect tense.
5. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger
✗ Wrong: “È importante che io nuoto.”
✓ Right: “È importante che io nuoti.”
After è importante che Italian needs the subjunctive, so use nuoti here, not the indicative nuoto.
6. Using the gerund instead of the past participle in a perfect tense
✗ Wrong: “Io ho nuotando.”
✓ Right: “Io ho nuotato questa settimana.”
The perfect tenses need the past participle nuotato, not the gerund nuotando. The gerund belongs in progressive constructions, never after an auxiliary in a perfect tense.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on nuotare. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the io form of nuotare in the Present indicative?
- A) nuoti
- B) nuoto
- C) nuota
- D) nuotiamo
What is the lui/lei form of nuotare in the Passato remoto?
- A) nuotai
- B) nuotasti
- C) nuotò
- D) nuotammo
What is the noi form of nuotare in the Imperfect?
- A) nuotavo
- B) nuotavi
- C) nuotava
- D) nuotavamo
What is the tu form of nuotare in the Future?
- A) nuoterai
- B) nuoterò
- C) nuoterà
- D) nuoteremo
What is the io form of nuotare in the Conditional?
- A) nuoteresti
- B) nuoterei
- C) nuoterebbe
- D) nuoteremmo
What is the lui/lei form of nuotare in the Present perfect (passato prossimo)?
- A) ho nuotato
- B) hai nuotato
- C) ha nuotato
- D) abbiamo nuotato
What is the lui/lei form of nuotare in the Present subjunctive?
- A) nuotiamo
- B) nuotiate
- C) nuotino
- D) nuoti
What is the io form of nuotare in the Imperfect subjunctive?
- A) nuotassi
- B) nuotasse
- C) nuotassimo
- D) nuotaste
What is the gerund of nuotare?
- A) nuotato
- B) nuotando
- C) nuotare
- D) nuoto
What does nuotare mean in English?
- A) to explain
- B) to answer
- C) to swim
- D) to ask
Answer key
- B) nuoto — the correct form is nuoto. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) nuotò — the correct form is nuotò. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) nuotavamo — the correct form is nuotavamo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) nuoterai — the correct form is nuoterai. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) nuoterei — the correct form is nuoterei. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) ha nuotato — the correct form is ha nuotato. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) nuoti — the correct form is nuoti. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) nuotassi — the correct form is nuotassi. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) nuotando — the correct form is nuotando. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) to swim — the correct form is to swim. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
Frequently asked questions
What does nuotare mean in English?
nuotare means “to swim”. It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is nuotare regular or irregular?
nuotare is regular: it follows the ordinary -are pattern in every tense. The gerund is nuotando and the past participle is nuotato.
What are the gerund and past participle of nuotare?
The gerund is nuotando — use it with stare for the progressive. The past participle is nuotato — use it with avere for the perfect tenses, as in ho nuotato.
Which auxiliary does nuotare take in the passato prossimo?
nuotare takes avere in the passato prossimo: the io form is ho nuotato. All four perfect tenses on this page are built with avere plus the past participle nuotato.
How do I say “I swim” in Italian?
Say “Io nuoto ogni giorno.” — “I swim” The io form of the present is nuoto, and it is the form you will use most often.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of nuotare — every tense of nuotare in one place.
- Nuotare in the present tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Nuotare examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- Italian present tense guide — the full guide to the present tense in Italian.
- Spiegare conjugation — another everyday Italian verb.
- Domandare conjugation — another everyday Italian verb.
- Italian verbs — the full hub of Italian conjugation pages.
- VerbFlow home — all languages, tools and verb lists.
- Verb Conjugator — practise nuotare with the interactive tool.
- Conjugation Chart Printer — practise nuotare with the interactive tool.
- Tense Finder — practise nuotare with the interactive tool.